The Votive Statues of the Athenian Acropolis

Description

During the period between Solon's reforms and the end of the Peloponnesian War, worshippers dedicated hundreds of statues to Athena on the Acropolis, Athens's primary sanctuary. Some of these statues were Archaic marble korai, works of the greatest significance for the study of Greek art; all are documents of Athenian history. This book brings together all of the evidence for statue dedications on the Acropolis in the sixth and fifth centuries BC, including inscribed statue bases that preserve information about the dedicators and the evidence for lost bronze sculptures. Placing the korai and other statues from the Acropolis within the original votive contexts, Katherine Keesling questions the standard interpretation of the korai as generic, anonymous votaries, while shedding light upon the origins and significance of Greek portraiture.

From the hardback review: '... I would certainly recommend it to undergraduate students taking courses in Greek art or religion, and more generally it should be of interest to anyone concerned with the contribution of material evidence to our understanding of Greek social history.' JACT From the hardback review: 'This is an important book. clearly written, concisely argued and cogently organized, it belongs in the library of any serious student of early Greek cult, culture and art ... it is a genuinely groundbreaking study that goes a long way towards redefining the nature of the questions surrounding this important body of ancient Athenian sculpture ... fundamental reading ... a starting point for all further inquires into Athenian votive studies and the study of Greek votive art generally.' Scripta Classica Israelica From the hardback review: 'Keesling draws her conclusion in The Votive Statues of the Athenian Acropolis by a fascinating study of dedicatory practices on the Acropolis as a whole.' The Times Literary Supplement From the hardback review: 'Catherine Keesling's study of Athenian votive statues is a welcome contribution to the interdisciplinary field ... presents an incisive analysis of difficult and fragmentary material ... Together, the essays in this volume shed light on the various intellectual currents and scholarly preoccupations which have shaped the discipline of classical art history ... a readable and provocative reflection on the subject, of interest to any art historian.' Burlington Magazine